In public facilities, automatic water delivery fixtures are widely used to reduce the spread of germs and water consumption. These fixtures provide touchless on and off control of a stream of water through sensing means. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,516 issued to Wilson on Jun. 25, 1991 discloses a faucet with sensing means for automatic operation in the form of an emitter and detector mounted on the spout. Some automatic water delivery fixtures provide a stream of water at a predetermined temperature and flow, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,147 issued to Mauerhofer on Oct. 17, 1995. Other automatic water delivery fixtures provide manual controls for the adjustment of water temperature and flow, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,940 issued to Delabie et al. on May 10, 1994.
Although automatic water delivery fixtures have been successfully installed in public facilities, they have several shortcomings which deter household or domestic use. Some locations such as hospitals, nursing homes, and military bases require a faucet to deliver both hot or warm water for hygienic reasons and cold water for consumption purposes. Many homeowners find the delivery of water from a faucet at a predetermined temperature and flow inadequate for their needs. Further, many persons, such as some elderly, the disabled, and the handicapped, are unable to operate a water faucet with manual controls. Many automatic water delivery fixtures cannot protect against flooding, scalding, and/or cold shock. Furthermore, many automatic water delivery fixtures cannot maintain a set water temperature as the hot water supply is depleted. Accordingly, there is a need for a water faucet which can be fully and conveniently operated through touchless adjustments.